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CHICAGO - Organizers of the Women's March on Chicago say as many as 250,000 people attended a rally in the Loop Saturday.

It was a towering statement to the new president: thousands and thousands of women, feeling threatened by Donald Trump’s rise and rhetoric, got together to shout back.

“He seemed like he was trying to pull us apart in terms of our color, in terms of our beliefs, in terms of our financial status – and that is really the problem," said protester Karen Gordon, who was joining a political protest for the first time in response to his inauguration.

Teacher Shapha O-Day, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, said she has a duty to her mother to continue the long march of progress.

"I asked my mother, 'what did you want to do when you grew up?"– she said we didn’t even have that opportunity to dream. We were worried about surviving.”, she said.

For Kelly Kauffman, it was about her 15-month old daughter Miriam.

"It’s important that she’s not fighting for these rights when she’s my age," Kauffman said.

The rally began at 10 a.m. near Columbus and Jackson in Grant Park with speakers addressing topics ranging from immigration and reproductive rights, to LGBTQ issues.

There was a planned march to Federal Plaza at 11:30 a.m., but organizers had to cancel it due to the large size of the crowds. Organizers expected 75,000 people for the march and rally. The rally was scheduled to continue in Grant Park until 12:30 p.m.

The march was planned as a "sister march" the one being held in Washington, DC., and is one of hundreds of marches occurring all over the country today.